GCHQ

Lord Hughes of Woodside: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will publish the recruitment statistics for GCHQ in 2000.

Baroness Amos: GCHQ notified the Civil Service Commissioners that as a result of recruitment schemes run in 2000, 324 individuals have joined the department or are awaiting completion of the application process. This compares with 241 reported for 1999 recruitment schemes. In addition, one former member of staff was reappointed in 2000, compared with nine in 1999.

Subject Access Requests

Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether guidance will be issued to civil servants on the handling of requests for personal information under Section 7 of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Lord Irvine of Lairg: I have recently issued central guidance on the handling of subject access requests. I have placed a copy of this guidance in the House Library.

House of Lords Appointments: Applicants

Lord Jacobs: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many of the 3,166 applicants to the House of Lords Appointments Commission whom it was not possible to interview met the interview parameters.

Lord Irvine of Lairg: I understand that the commission was very pleased with the high quality of the applicants. It interviewed those whom it judged, on paper, to be the most outstanding against its published assessment criteria.

Home Office Race Equality Scheme

Lord Clarke of Hampstead: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they intend to publish the Home Office Race Equality Scheme.

Lord Rooker: The Home Office has today published its Race Equality Scheme, setting out how the Home Office intends to promote race equality in accordance with its responsibilities under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. The scheme is made up of an overarching scheme which describes the high level principles which apply across the Home Office, together with associate schemes for the core (non-IND) Home Office; the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND); the National Probation Directorate; the Forensic Science Service; the Passport and Records Agency and the Prison Service.
	Copies of the complete Home Office Scheme are available in the Library and on the Home Office website, www.homeoffice.gov.uk.Janice

Invest to Save Initiative

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What projects in the Invest to Save initiative announced by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 10 April are to be developed which bring together two or more public bodies at a cost of £390 million.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Invest to Save budget has allocated some £340 million (of the £385 million available to it) to 325 partnership projects. The great majority of these projects have involved a partnership between two or more public bodies. Tables listing those projects are being placed in the Library of the House.

Government Departments: Assets of Cultural Significance

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	On how many occasions during 2000 and 2001 the Financial Reporting Advisory Board met; on how many occasions it considered the disposal of items held by government departments which were categorised by the Government as:
	(a) antiques; or
	(b) non-operational heritage assets; or
	(c) operational heritage assets; and on how many occasions the advice of the Financial Reporting Advisory Board was rejected by the Government; and
	Why there are no fixed criteria for determining whether assets held by government departments should be categorised as "antiques" or "heritage assets"; and
	Whether their decision to dispose of the Privy Council silver collection was submitted to the Financial Reporting Advisory Board for its consideration and advice; and
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 12 February (WA 139), whether it is their intention that both the Financial Reporting Advisory Board and the Cultural Property Unit of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport shall advise government departments on the disposal of their heritage assets and antiques. [HL3753] Janice

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The role of the Financial Reporting Advisory Board is to provide independent advice on the financial reporting standards and principles which central government bodies should follow when preparing their accounts. For departmental resource accounts that advice is incorporated by the Treasury in the Resource Accounting Manual. The board's advice has never been rejected.
	It is not part of the board's role, nor is it intended to be, to advise individual departments on the management of their assets. Consequently, the issue of the Privy Council silver collection was not discussed by the board.
	The board met on nine occasions during 2000 and seven during 2001.
	The Resource Accounting Manual defines heritage assets as, "those assets which are intended to be preserved in trust for future generations because of their cultural, environmental or historical associations", and identifies the characteristics typically displayed by heritage assets. The manual does not define antiques because those, which are not encompassed by the definition of a heritage asset, are accounted for in the same way as fixed assets generally. The manual is available in the Library of the House and on the Internet.
	The main role of the Cultural Property Unit of the DCMS is to facilitate the acquisition of cultural assets of national importance for public collections and to increase public access to such items in private collections. It is also available to advise departments on the disposal of heritage assets. jenny

Government Departments: Assets of Cultural Significance

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 10 April (WA 113–14), whether they will list the members of the Financial Reporting Advisory Board, the terms of reference for the appointment to the board and the expertise held by current members of the board in heritage matters.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The current membership of the Financial Reporting Advisory Board is:
	Chairman:
	Elwyn Eilledge, CBE, Director of BG Group PLC and former Chairman of BTR plc, Senior Partner of Ernst and Young and Member of the Accounting Standards Board.
	Members:
	Colin Balmer, Principal Finance Officer, Ministry of Defence
	Mike Barnes, Head of Technical Development, Audit Commission
	Dr Peter Collings, Principal Finance Officer, Scottish Executive
	Brian Delaney, Head of Accountability and Accounting Services Division, Department of Finance and Personnel, Northern Ireland
	Russell Frith, Director of Audit Strategy, Audit Scotland
	Heather Jackson, Director of Finance, HM Land Registry
	Graham Jenkinson, Director, National Expenditure and Income Division, Office for National Statistics
	Claran Martin, Head of Resource Budgeting, HM Treasury
	Professor David Mayston, Professor of Public Sector Economics, Finance and Accountancy, University of York
	Nigel Reader, Director of Finance, Environment Agency
	Martin Sinclair, Assistant Auditor General, National Audit Office
	Jeff Tomlinson, Head of NHS Accounting, Department of Health
	Ken Wild, Partner, Deloitte & Touche, Member of the Accounting Standards Board and former Chairman of its Public Sector and Not for Profit Committee.
	In accordance with the Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000 the Treasury has consulted the Comptroller and Auditor General on the board's membership.
	The terms of reference for appointment to the board, which form part of the board's terms of reference, are:
	"The Board will comprise:
	1 member nominated by the Treasury
	1 member nominated by the Scottish Ministers
	1 member nominated by the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland
	1 member nominated by the Comptroller and Auditor General
	1 member nominated by the Auditor General for Scotland
	1 member nominated by the Audit Commission
	3 members nominated by the Principal Finance Officers of UK government departments to represent respectively departments, trading funds, and non departmental public bodies
	1 member nominated by the Department of Health
	1 member nominated by the National Statistician
	1 member nominated by the Accounting Standards Board
	1 member, an independent economist, nominated by the Head of the Government Economic Service.
	In addition, an Independent Chairman of the Board will be nominated by the Chief Accountancy Adviser to the Treasury, and in respect of future appointments, in agreement with the Scottish Ministers and the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland.
	The periods of appointment will be determined by the nominating bodies."
	The role of the board is to provide independent advice on the financial reporting standards and principles which central government bodies should follow when preparing their accounts, with the aim of ensuring compliance with generally accepted accounting practice as far as appropriate.
	Expertise in heritage matters is not a prerequisite of board membership. However, when considering proposals for accounting for heritage assets the board has been able to take account of the views of relevant bodies. The Treasury carried out detailed consultations with those bodies prior to submitting proposals to the board. Also, the board has discussed accounting for heritage assets directly with representatives from bodies concerned.
	The board publishes an annual report on its activities. This is available from the House of Lords Library and the Internet. The report for the year ended March 2002 is expected to be available in July. jenny

Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 Instruments

Lord Lipsey: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What statutory orders under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 they plan to lay before Parliament this year; when they plan to lay each of these orders; and which of these orders will be subject to the affirmative resolution procedure.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Government propose to lay before Parliament the following statutory instruments:
	1. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Consequential Amendments) (Order) 2002: a negative resolution order which will make some outstanding amendments to other legislation consequent on the coming into force of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Likely to be laid before Parliament during May 2002.
	2. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) (Amendment) (Electronic Commerce Directive) Order 2002: an affirmative resolution to implement the e-commerce directive in the field of financial services. Likely to be laid before Parliament during May 2002.
	3. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (No 2) Order 2002: a negative resolution order to implement the e-commerce directive in the field of financial services. Likely to be laid before Parliament during May 2002.
	4. There will also be a set of regulations made under Section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972 and Sections 349(1)(b) and 414 of FSMA: a negative resolution instrument to implement the e-commerce directive, to be laid before Parliament during May 2002.
	5. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Communications by Actuaries) Regulations 2002: a negative resolution instrument specifying circumstances in which actuaries of authorised persons must make a report to the FSA. Likely to be laid before Parliament during May 2002.
	6. Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) (Credit Unions) Order 2000: a negative resolution order making consequential and transitional arrangements to credit union legislation. Likely to be laid before Parliament in June 2002.
	7. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (No 3) Order 2002: an affirmative resolution instrument to implement regulation of mortgage advice and arranging. Likely to be laid before Parliament in June 2002.
	8. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Misleading Statements and Practices) Order 2002: an affirmative resolution instrument to implement regulation of mortgage advice and arranging. Likely to be laid before Parliament in June 2002.
	9. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) (Amendment) Order 2002: an affirmative resolution instrument to implement regulation of mortgage advice and arranging. Likely to be laid before Parliament in June 2002.
	10. An order under the Financial Services and Markets Act, Section 150(3) to extend definition of private persons to allow businesses to sue for breach of FSA rule where insurer breaches a (future) rule obliging them to pay interest on late insurance claim as per under 4th motor directive. Likely to be laid before Parliament before the end of 2002.
	To implement a regulatory regime for insurance intermediaries, including long-term care insurance, which will also implement the EU Insurance Mediation Directive, the Government expect to lay orders by the end of 2002. These orders will include at least one affirmative resolution order. This timetable is subject to the directive being adopted during the summer/early autumn. If there are significant delays in Europe—which we do not expect—then there is a possibility that legislation would be delayed. If this delay was significant, the Government would look again at the strategy of dovetailing regulation of LTCI with implementation of the directive.

Gulf War Veterans

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government: Janice
	How many Gulf War veterans (a) have been diagnosed with, or (b) have died from renal cancer or lymphocytic leukaemia; and whether the incidence in the veterans community is considered to be higher than would be expected in the general population.

Lord Bach: Comprehensive cancer registration data provided by the Office for National Statistics' NHS Central Register on registrations in England and Wales is currently available only for the period up to 31 December 1998 as follows:
	
		Cancer data from the NHS Central Register—1 April 1991 to 31 December 1998
		
			  UK Gulf veterans General Population estimate (Note 3) 
			 Renal Cancer (Note 1) 
			 Diagnosis: 5 6 
			 Of whom Deaths 1 3 
			 Lymphoid Leukaemia  (Note 2) 
			 Diagnosis: 1 3 
			 Of whom Deaths 1 2 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Renal cancer or malignant neoplasm of the kidney (International Classification of Disease (ICD) 9th Revision code 189.0 and ICD 10th Revision code C64). Excludes malignant neoplasm of the renal pelvis (ICD) 9th Revision code 189.1 and ICD 10th Revision code C65) because this condition is histologically and aetiologically different from the other renal cancers described in the table.
	2. The different manifestations of lymphocytic leukaemia are included in the classification for lymphoid leukaemia in ICD
	9th Revision codes 204.0 to 204.9 and ICD 10th Revision code C91.
	3. The estimates for the general population have been calculated by applying the age and gender specific rates for the general population resident in England and Wales to the Gulf veteran cohort.
	Drawing conclusions about health from a comparison of service personnel with the general population may not necessarily be valid because, for example, Armed Forces selection procedures are designed to identify and exclude those who are medically unsuitable for service due to poor health and fitness or have a predisposition to develop ill health. The emphasis given to maintaining physical fitness and the different healthcare arrangements provided for Armed Forces personnel during their career are additional examples of why such a comparison can be misleading. It is for these reasons that an era comparison group of UK service personnel was identified with whom the health of Gulf veterans is compared by the Ministry of Defence. I outlined the composition of the era comparison group in my recent Answer to my noble friend Lord Morris of Manchester
	(Official Report, 25 February 2002, columns
	WA 177–78). The MoD is conducting an analysis of the incidence of all cancers in Gulf veterans and the era group with the aim of making the findings available later this year.
	Janice

MoD Proposals: Gender Impact Assessment

Baroness Thomas of Walliswood: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which women's organisations have been consulted over proposed legislation by the Ministry of Defence during the 2000–01 and 2001–02 Sessions; and whether their responses have been published.

Lord Bach: During the 2000–01 and 2001–02 Sessions the Ministry of Defence has not proposed any legislation for which specific consultation with women's organisations was required.

MoD Proposals: Gender Impact Assessment

Baroness Thomas of Walliswood: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the subject of each gender impact assessment drawn up by the Ministry of Defence since June 1997; and, in each case, whether the outcome had been put out to consultation or published.

Lord Bach: The requirement to consider the impact of proposals, either directly or indirectly, on different groups of people, including women, is embedded in the Ministry of Defence's guidance to policy makers and as such is taken into account as a matter of course. Information on individual gender impact assessments is not held centrally and could be provided only by the use of disproportionate time and effort. Janice

A12 Witham Bypass

Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action they intend to take to bring to justice those who were responsible for the criminal damage caused to property of the Highways Agency by the cutting down on 15 April of planting on government land along the A12 trunk road embankment adjacent to the advertising hoardings on land owned by Braintree District Council at Witham; and what steps they are taking to prevent further damage to Highways Agency planting along the A12 Witham bypass.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr Tim Matthews, to write to the noble Lord.
	Letter from the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr Tim Matthews, dated 25 April 2002.
	I have been asked by the Minister of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about damage to the Highways Agency's estate on the A12 at Witham.
	First, thank you for your swift action in contacting our Managing Agents, W S Atkins Consultants Ltd, on 15 April, when you discovered people on site. This enabled us to find out further details of the incident including who had organised the cutting back of the planting. The matter has been reported to Essex Police and we intend to pursue it vigorously.
	Clearly, we cannot guarantee that others will not attempt to cut back the planting on the embankment in the future. But those with an interest in the advertising hoardings know our views and know we will take the strongest action against those proved to have caused criminal damage and trespass. I shall see that you are kept in touch with developments. maria

National Parks: Telecommunications Development

Lord Judd: asked her Majesty's Government:
	In the light of the estimate made by the Lake District National Park Authority that there may be requests for 138 telecommunication masts in that national park and that some 25 of these will be BT Airwaves digital communications for the police and other emergency sevices, what are the implications for the fulfilment of the purposes of the national parks; whether any benefits are outweighed by negative environmental considerations; and what steps they are taking to reassert the special nature of the national parks and to find alternative, acceptable solutions to telecommunication needs.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: In national parks, proposals to install telecommunications masts are for the national park authorities to determine in the first instance, taking account of local planning policies and national planning policy guidance. Current planning guidance on telecommunications is set out in Planning Policy Guidance note 8 (revised) (PPG8). Advice on development in national parks is given in PPG7—The Countryside.
	Protection from visual intrusion and the implications for subsequent network development will be important considerations in determining applications for telecommunications development. The Government are particularly concerned to ensure that the special landscapes and scenic beauty for which national parks have been designated are adequately protected. They are also concerned to ensure the economic and social well-being of the communities in national parks, in which the provision of modern telecommunications has a potentially vital role to play. Telecommunications development in national parks should be sensitively designed and sited and should blend into the landscape as far as possible. The developer must also demonstrate that there are no suitable alternative locations.
	The mobile phone industry has pledged to provide local planning authorities with annual roll-out plans for each authority's area. We strongly encourage the use of pre-rollout discussions based upon these plans and collaboration between the operators and authorities as a means of overcoming potential technical and environmental constraints, particularly in national parks and other designated areas. These discussions should also provide an early opportunity to explore possible alternative approaches, particularly the opportunities for mast and site sharing and also in terms of the location and alternative design of the apparatus.

Rail Freight: 10-year Transport Plan

Lord Berkeley: asked her Majesty's Government:
	What is their present commitment to the proposed growth of 80 per cent in rail freight contained in the 10 year transport plan; and
	What funding for rail freight was contained in the 10-year transport plan from: (a) the private sector; and (b) the public sector; and whether current expenditure and budgets are in line with this plan.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Funding for rail freight under the 10-year plan comprises, roundly, £- billion from the private sector and £3- billion from the public sector. Funding and other matters will form part of our review of our 10 year plan for transport, which is being carried out in parallel with work on Spending Review 2002. jenny

Road Congestion: 10-year Transport Plan

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How they intend to achieve the planned reduction in congestion (in the 10-year transport plan) in spite of a planned increase in road traffic.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Most congestion is caused by the delays vehicles impose on each other when using the network at the same time or by temporary reductions in road capacity, for example from road works or accidents. Measures in the 10-year plan are aimed at improving capacity on the most congested parts of the network and at encouraging users away from them. Improvements to selected parts of the road network will improve traffic flows.
	Where local authorities decide to introduce congestion charging, this will redistribute some traffic to less congested times of day with a lower charge. Both the Highways Agency and local authorities are looking to improve their management of the road network, improving the evenness of flows, making road users better informed about problems, responding faster to accidents and reducing the effects that road works have on traffic.

Cefn Croes

Lord Carlile of Berriew: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, in the light of representations received, the Department of Trade and Industry will institute a fresh consultation process on the issue of the construction of a wind farm at Cefn Croes in mid-Wales.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: No. The statutory consultation process has already been undertaken and the Government see no reason why it should be reopened.

Rural Proofing

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will name the government departments which have failed to achieve their rural-proofing targets in the last full year.

Lord Whitty: The Countryside Agency published its report on the first full year of rural proofing on 11 April. Table 2 in the report comments individually on how far rural proofing has been effectively implemented in each home department but the report does not explicitly categorise some departments as having succeeded and others as having failed; instead, it makes clear that in most departments there is more to do to ensure that sytems that have been put in place deliver tangible benefits to rural people.

Foot and Mouth Disease Inquiries

Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will list all the inquiries being carried out into the outbreak of foot and mouth, whether sponsored by local government, national government or other organisations.

Lord Whitty: There are a number of inquiries that have been or are being carried out into the 2001 foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak of which the Government are aware.
	On 9 August the Prime Minister announced two independent inquiries into the outbreak, namely the Lessons Learned inquiry and the Royal Society study.
	Both the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committees of the House of Commons have reported on FMD, the latter in respect of tourism. In addition, the National Audit Office is preparing a report on the FMD outbreak. Going wider than Great Britain, the European Parliament has established a temporary committee to investigate FMD.
	The Royal Society of Edinburgh is looking into the impact of FMD in Scotland, the Welsh Assembly Agriculture and Rural Development Committee is conducting a scrutiny of FMD in Wales and PricewaterhouseCooper is carrying out a review of FMD in Northern Ireland.
	Some local authorities have carried out inquiries into the FMD outbreak in their own areas: in particular Devon, Northumberland, Gloucestershire and Shropshire. Cumbria County Council has also announced such an inquiry.
	Other organisations will also be reviewing their roles and experiences during FMD, although we do not have details of these centrally.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Baroness Masham of Ilton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What they are doing to eradicate bovine tuberculosis.

Lord Whitty: Resources are currently being targeted at the backlog of tuberculosis tests in cattle, following suspension of routine testing during the foot and mouth outbreak. Those herds which have been identified as posing the greatest risk are being prioritised on the basis of a veterinary risk assessment.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Baroness Masham of Ilton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether there is a vaccine for bovine tuberculosis.

Lord Whitty: There is at present no practical vaccine against bovine tuberculosis. The Government are funding research at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency and the Institute of Animal Health to identify vaccine candidates for use in cattle and badgers but this is unlikley to deliver results in the short term. maria

Bovine Tuberculosis

Baroness Masham of Ilton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether badgers are infecting cattle with bovine tuberculosis; and, if so, what they are doing about it.

Lord Whitty: The Government have put in place a wide-ranging research programme better to understand the dynamics of cattle TB. An element of this programme is the field trial recommended in the Krebs report of 1997 to determine, once and for all, the role of badgers in cattle TB and whether culling them is an effective way of controlling the disease. The results of the trial are expected by end 2004 or early 2005.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Baroness Masham of Ilton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What they are doing to protect badgers from bovine tuberculosis.

Lord Whitty: The Government are funding a wide-ranging research programme into bovine TB which includes identifying vaccine candidates for use in badgers. The programme also covers the badger field trial which is designed not only to determine the role of badgers in cattle TB but also to provide epidemiological data on the incidence and prevalence of TB in badgers and its relation to badger population density and social group size. This work will help to ensure that future control policies are based on sound science and that healthy cattle and badgers can live side by side.

Sheep Annual Premium

Lord Kimball: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What they intend to do with the £2 withheld from the sheep annual premium for sheep farmers in England.

Lord Whitty: The reformed sheepmeat regime agreed by the EU Council of Ministers in December sets the rate of the sheep annual premium at 21 euros per eligible animal (around £13), with a supplement of 7 euros (around £4.30) payable in less favoured areas. In addition, the new regime introduces a sheep national envelope which can be used to provide extra support to sheep producers and to encourage environmentally sustainable farming practices. Member states may increase the size of their national envelope by reducing sheep annual premium payments by up to 1 euro per eligible animal. Using these provisions, the Government could increase or reduce the basic rate of the sheep annual premium by up to 1 euro (approximately 62p). We are currently considering options for implementing the sheep national envelope in England and whether to make any adjustments to the sheep annual premium. Rebo

Defra Publication Essentials of Life

Lord Kimball: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the cost to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the printing and distribution of Essentials of Life.

Lord Whitty: Defra's work affects the lives of everyone and the activities and policies of many other departments, businesses and community groups. It is important that the department establishes and maintains high quality dialogue and communications with all those with whom we deal. Working for the Essentials of Life attempts to describe in accessible language and using professional presentation and design our work and how it affects others. The costs of printing and distributing 15,000 copies equates to approximately £2.96 per copy, a cost which is justified if we communicate more effectively and clearly with people.

Bovine Embryos and Live Cattle: Imports from North America

The Earl of Caithness: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When the ban on the importation of embryos and live cattle from North America will be lifted; and
	What is the scientific evidence for the imposition of a ban on the importation of embryos and live cattle from North America.

Lord Whitty: Her Majesty's Government have not imposed a ban on imports of bovine embryos and live cattle from North America.
	The European Parliament and European Council introduced legislation in May last year laying down rules for the prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). The legislation was introduced in response to the recommendations of the Office International des Epizooties (OIE—the international animal health organisation) and advice from the Commission's scientific comittees. The legislation (and the transitional measures which came into effect in October last year) includes requirement that imports into the EU of bovine embryos and live cattle must be accompanied by certification confirming that the feeding of ruminants with protein derived from mammals has been banned and that the ban has been effectively enforced. Some exporting countries, such as Canada and the USA, are currently unable to meet these new requirements. jenny

Climate Change

Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What work the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is doing on the impacts of climate change.

Lord Whitty: The UK Climate Change Programme outlines the Government's approach on adaptation to climate change. An important component of this is the ability to assess possible impacts and adaptation options. To address this, the department has provided a further three years of funding for the UK Climate Impacts Programme to help the public and private sector carry out studies to assess what climate change may mean for them and how to prepare for it.
	To help such assessments, new climate change scenarios for the UK will be published on 26 April 2002. These contain important information on how the UK's climate may change in future as a result of greenhouse gas emissions. Copies of the scenario reports will be placed in the Libraries of the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
	In addition, the Government have recently begun an inter-departmental process to consider the implications of climate change. The department is participating in this activity and has also commissioned a survey of the implications of climate change for its policies and operational responsibilities. The study should be completed this year. maria

French Poultry Slaughterhouses

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether inspection by the European Commission of French poultry slaughterhouses has found any improvement since the Commission's adverse reports in 1999.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We are advised on matters of food safety by the Food Standards Agency.
	The European Commission's Food and Veterinary Office carried out a follow-up inspection mission to France in October 2000 to ascertain whether improvements had been made following a previous inspection mission in 1999 concerning the production of poultry meat. The report of the 2000 inspection mission concluded that there had been no significant improvements. It is the responsibility of the European Commission to ensure that member states fulfil their obligations under EU rules. Only poultry meat which has been produced in accordance with EU hygiene rules may be health marked and placed on the market within the European Union. jenny

Haemophilia

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	From what date the United Kingdom Haemophilia Doctors' Organisation has advised them and patients that recombinant is the treatment of choice for haemophilia patients on grounds of safety; what consideration was given to that advice when Lord Hunt of Kings Heath said on 6 February (HL Deb, cols 629–630) that there is no evidence "that there is an issue of safety between different products"; and what consultation the Department of Health has had with the organisation since his assurance.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: In 1997 the United Kingdom Haemophilia Doctors Organisation (UKHCDO) produced guidelines recommending that recombinant clotting factors should be the treatment of choice for patients with inherited bleeding disorders. The Department of Health and UKHCDO consult on a regular basis.
	I said on 6 February 2002 (at col 630), "As I said, the advice that I have received is that as yet there is no evidence to suggest that there is an issue of safety between the different products".
	It is generally accepted by United Kingdom clinicians that recombinant and plasma derived clotting factors are equally effective in treating clotting disorders. In guidelines produced by the United Kingdom Haemophilia Doctors Organisation, comparisons between the two types of product revolve around their relative safety, bearing in mind that no medicinal product can ever be completely free from risk. An advantage of recombinant products, where they are entirely free of human albumin, is that they eliminate the risk from blood borne viruses and the theoretical risk from vCJD. However, plasma derived clotting factors are tightly regulated by European and United States authorities to minimise the risk of viral transmission. This is achieved by the screening of donor blood and the anti-viral measures taken during manufacture. By ceasing to use UK plasma in the manufacture of blood products, the Government have already taken steps to reduce the unknown risks from vCJD.

Repubic of Ireland Residents: British Passports

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government
	Whether they consider that they are acting in the spirit of the Belfast Agreement of 1998 in terms of parity of esteem by not making passports available to residents of the Republic of Ireland when the Irish Government make Irish passports available to residents in any part of the United Kingdom.

Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton: I refer the noble Lord to the reply given by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 9 October 2000 (Official Report, col. WA10, Question reference HL3944).

Northern Ireland: Victim Support

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government
	Whether the recommendation of the Victims Commissioner (Sir Kenneth Bloomfield) that in the longer term the interests of victims should be made the concern of a standing commission or protector or ombudsman for vicitms has been implemented; and, if so, what progress has been made.

Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton: Government have not pursued the recommendation but the matter is still open. Following publication of the report, government appointed a Minister for Victims. Des Browne, who took over from Adam Ingram in July 2001 and who meets regularly with victims and victims' groups to hear their stories and the issues that concern them. He is keeping the strategy for responding to victims' needs under regular review.
	The role envisaged by Sir Kenneth Bloomfield was primarily that of watchdog over the services and advice available to victims. The Northern Ireland Executive is taking much of this work forward and its cross-departmental Strategy for Victims was launched on 11 April 2002.